Next generation reads the Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone!
by destiny-hope-975
Summary: Teddy, Victorie, Dominique, Louis, Molly, Lucy, Fred, Roxanne, Rose, Hugo, James, Albus, Lily, Scorpius, Frank, Alice and Collin are all exploring the woods surrounding the Potter Mansion on Boxing day, 2021 and they come across an enchanted cottage. Once inside they discover that time is frozen outside and to get out they must read all seven Harry Potter books.
1. Finding the Books

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the pleasure is all JK Rowling's. I do not make any profit by writing these fan-fictions they are simply for your entertainment. Enjoy.**

**If you think this story needs a Beta reader to edit it please let me know and if you are a Beta reader yourself and would like to edit my work please PM me!**

It was boxing day during the Christmas holidays of 2022 and the whole Weasley/Potter clam had just flooed from the Burrow, where they had spent the last two days celebrating Christmas, to the Potter Mansion.

Shortly after the war was over, Harry discovered that he had in fact been left not only Godric's Hollow (which he had left dormant as a memorial for his parents) but also the Potter Mansion which had been passed down through the generations. Apparently his mother and father had only lived in it for a few brief months before they had to go into hiding and his parents had conveniently placed a freezing charm of the mansion.

When for the first time in twenty years Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione unlocked the gates that surrounded the beautiful property they had swung open as though they were last used yesterday. As they walked up the gravel path that led to the mansion Harry undid the freezing charm and the willow trees gently swayed in the wind again for the first time in twenty years.

After a day of exploration they had come to the conclusion that Harry had officially inherited the best Mansion ever. The house itself was made of coffee coloured bricks with ivy vines growing up the worn exterior giving the house an enchanted look. The mansion was three stories tall and divided into three wings. Ron had pointed out that from the air it would have looked very similar to an upside down 'T'.

There was a gorgeous Gryffindor themed master bedroom that came with an ensuite, walk-in wardrobe and amazing view of the forest and distant mountains that were currently snow-capped. Eight other bedrooms were discovered as well along with six luxurious bathrooms. A heated indoor pool, private quidditch pitch and broom shed, home cinema and kitchen that would cater for all of Hogwarts were found to.

Lets just say Harry and Ginny, who at the time were newly engaged, wasted no time in moving in and starting to re-decorate and furnish parts of the house that were outdated or feeling empty, christening many places along the way.

Back to the present, it was now tradition for the Weasley/Potter clan to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the Burrow before traveling to the Potter Mansion where they would celebrate Boxing Day before the kids that were still in school were sent back to Hogwarts for the rest of their year.

This year the Scorpius Malfoy who was Albus Potters best friend and the Longbottom's who were close family friends had come to celebrate at the Potters on Boxing Day too.

As the adults worked their way through the Potter's cellar of fine wines while telling stories of the 'good old days' the kids, well teenagers really, explored the woods that surrounded the property in search for a old cottage James claimed to have found over the summer holidays.

They were a sight to be seen as they walked through the snow covered forest, cousins, siblings and best friends all trooping through the icy forest floor, their boots crunching with every step they took.

Victorie Weasley, who had just celebrated her 21st birthday and Teddy Lupin who at 23 was now an Auror were walking hand in hand at the rear of the group, looking every part the child sweet-hearts they were as they both smiled contently as they looked fondly at the family in front of them.

Molly ii Weasley and Rose Weasley were both avidly discussing a new book on Ancient Runes, smiling in delight at finally having someone who was equally interested and knowledgeable in the subject even though they had five years between them Molly being 20 while Rose was only 15.

Perhaps they were a little to engrossed in their conversation however because they both failed to notice James Potter, Roxanne Weasley and her twin Fred Weasley, all 16 and grinning like cheshire cats as they conjured snowballs that were hovering mid-air ready to be pelted at the pair of conversing red headed girls at the three notorious pranksters commands.

Luckily, before the damage was done Dominique Weasley, 19, and Lucy Weasley, 18, who had both just returned from their extended holiday in France has waved their wands and the charmed snowballs had turned on their owners and pelted them before the trio had a chance to shield themselves.

Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom at 13 and 14 were gossiping viciously and giggling in embarrassment as they recounted stories of boyfriends, crushes and the latest gossip from Hogwarts.

Scorpius Malfoy, 15, had just been slapped up the head by his best friend Albus Potter, also 15, for checking out Rose, he of course had adamantly denied it but his traitorous blush had given him away and now Albus was ranting on about the unfairness of life, I mean why of all people did his best mate have to fall in love with his cousin? "Why me?" He asked but Scorpius was only half listening as he watched Roses hips sway 'seductively' as she walked.

Hugo Weasley and Collin Longbottom, both 13 were in a similar situation to Albus and Scorpius, Hugo had been bugging Collin about who he was crushing on for weeks but he never expected it to be his cousin Lily. He was now looking at Collin like he had never seen him before, unable to wrap his head around why someone would want to be in a relationship with Lily, his Lily who had an attitude worse than his mum, could punch like a boy and ate like his dad.

Leading the group was Frank Longbottom and Louis Weasley who were talking about, you guessed it, sex. Apparently after the boys joint 17th birthday where they came of age the had also got lucky that night, in Franks case a special treat from his girlfriend and in Louis' a hot chick he picked up at the wizarding bar.

Finally the group came to a stop in front of a cottage. It was exactly as James had described it, as though plucked from a fairytale book the white cottage had wild vines climbing up the walls and snow packed in the gutters making the cottage look iced. A cobble stone path lead to the timber front door, a window sat on either side making the house look symmetrical, white curtains blocked the view inside and a chimney sprouted from the snow covered roof.

"Well, its freezing out here, we might as well go in" said James after a minutes silence where everyone gazed at the cottage in wonder. He walked to the front door and swung it open, revealing a dark hallway with four door's coming of either side, the two closest to him open to reveal a living room and kitchen.

The rest of the family trooped inside and Molly whispered '_Homenum revelio' _"We are the only ones here," she informed them.

"Its pretty wicked here," commented Fred as Victorie cast a spell to give light to the hallway, they all went through the left entrance into a living room.

Victorie cast another lighting charm and the room was revealed, the walls were cream coloured, the floor polished dark timber with a shaggy dark blue rug lying in the centre of the room. Three light blue couches and two cream arm chairs were shaped in a 'U', all facing where you would have expected to find a T.V or fireplace. Instead a long desk was pushed against the wall. It had seven drawers, all locked and one single key sat on top, under it was a note.

"This cottage looks new," observed Alice as she drew the curtains back to revel the forest outside. It looked different though, stiller, frozen almost? It seemed the light snow that had been falling as they walked had stilled and the breeze had disappeared as the trees were standing un-naturally still, the clouds that were hiding the sun were no longer drifting through the grey-blue sky. 'Weird' she thought to herself.

Rose on the other hand was observing the thin desk, more precisely the note that sat under the key on the desk. As her blue eyes scanned the unfamiliar scrawl on the parchment and she took the words in her face grew more and more worried.

"Err, guys- this note- well, um- you see its rather interesting. Can you all sit down and I will read it out loud- don't interrupt me," she said and the worry in her voice was evident. Sixteen pairs of eyes were on her instantly, they looked worried to, the tone of Rose's voice was not comforting.

Rose began reading in a wavering voice.

_Dear Potter's, Weasley's, Longbottom's, Teddy Lupin and Scorpius Malfoy._

_While all seventeen of you are in this cottage time outside will stand still. In here you will notice there are seven draws that are all locked. Inside each draw is a book. The books must me read in order and the key to the next draw will only appear after the previous book had been read._

_These books are about the lives of your parents before you are born. They mainly focus on Harry Potter and the events are seen through his eyes. By the time you have finished the series you will have learnt about the war that took place before your time. Some of the secrets these books will reveal only Ron Weasley, Hermione 'Granger' Weasley and Harry Potter would have previously known._

_Enjoy reading these books and take all the time you like, this house has accommodation for all of you and is equipped an unlimited supply of food and water. Clothes and other necessities will be found in your allocated bedrooms._

_Enjoy your time in the cottage._

Everyone in the living room sat frozen as they stared at Rose. After a moments silence Alice said, "When I opened the windows everything seemed oddly still, like it was frozen, that makes sense now."

Her statement seemed to set of a trigger, suddenly everyone was talking.

"-Mum and Dad-" Teddy was saying.

"Uncle Fred" chorused Roxanne and Fred at the same time.

"Triwizard tournament" Victorie said, sounding thrilled and petrified at the same time.

"Sirius Black!" James yelled in excitement.

"Mum and Dad's infamous fights" laughed Hugo.

"Dumbledore" Albus said in surprise, "Severus."

"Dads Parents, Grandma and Grandfather, Lily and James!" Lily squealed.

"WAIT!" yelled Molly over the cheers, as per usual no one listened so she shot fireworks out of her wand, 'that shut them up' she thought with satisfaction when everyone stopped talking and opted for looking at her instead.

"Lets just think this through ok?" she said, "I, for some reason even I don't know, trust the person who wrote that letter. I also see no problem with the cottage, we have everything we need here and the freezing charm seems to be in place. The books are from the past so it's not dangerous for us to read them technically because we can't change the events regardless of what happened but just think for a second what will be in these books."

Everyone finally seemed to have understood what she was saying, although they knew about the war, who died and the events during Voldemort's time in power this would be from Harry's point of view. There would be secrets that only the trio knew revealed, what horrors would they read about? What relatives would they hear about dying first hand? They would come out of the cottage having read about the war from the point of view of someone who was in the thick of it. Harry Potter was essentially half the war.

"We will still read the books of course, we will need to to get out of the cottage and remove the time freezing charm but I just wanted to remind you guys that we will have good and bad memories by the end of this experience and we probably wont be able to tell our parents- or uncle Harry, they would flip."

Everyone nodded, understanding Molly's logic.

"I guess that the sun will help us keep time but there is a freezing charm so the days won't change only the hours, we can also charm a clock to keep precise time and make a calendar of sorts so we know how many days we have spent here." Everyone nodded, half listening, half immersed in their own thoughts about what the would discover.

"Lets explore then!" said Lucy suddenly, snapping everyone out of their trances.

"The kitchen first!" yelled Hugo, James and Fred as they marched out into the hallway and straight into the next room, the kitchen.

The the edges of the room were lined with a grey granite counter, various muggle and magical appliances lined the bench-tops. A wooden table sat in the middle of the room with seventeen chairs arranged neatly round it and a vase of sweet-smelling Lily's on the table-top. They discovered that the fridge and pantry were fully stocked and if you removed an item it immediately replaced itself. "Awesome" they said as they started eating some pumpkin pasties which were found in a tin, the boys grinned at the thought of unlimited food.

Meanwhile everyone else was exploring the other rooms that led off the hall.

The first door on the left in the hallway was a large bathroom. Walking straight in you were confronted with a totally mirror-covered wall that had four marble basins and a door on either side. The left door led to the boys section which was simply designed and themed, there were two showers, a urinal and a toilet. All in white with dark blue accessories.

The door on the right that led to the girls bathroom was incredibly similar but instead of having a urinal there was a large bath and the accessories were all golden.

The first door on the right of the hallway was a cupboard styled room. It had everything from linen to muggle first-aid kits, toilet paper to exploding snap and magical board games, they were very, very well equipped.

The last two doors on the left of the hallway were the girls bedrooms. Both rooms had a single, white framed window, a large wooden chest of draws filled with all the clothes in the world and two sets of bunk-beds made up with a pale golden quilts a light blue throw rugs that were folded on the corners of each bed. The pillows on each bed also had the names of the owner sewn in the top right hand corner in a midnight blue thread.

In the first room Victorie, Dominique, Molly and Lucy slept and in the second room Roxanne, Rose, Alice and Lily slept.

The last two doors on the right of the hallway were the boys bedrooms. Similar to the girls rooms, there was a single, white framed window that gave a beautiful view of a frozen over lake, a wooden chest of draws that was filled with countless clothes and in one room was two sets of bunks that instead of being made up with gold and light blue linen they had dark blue quilts and cream coloured throws. The second room had two bunks and a single bed considering there were was one more boy in the house than there were girls.

In the first room Scorpius, Albus, Hugo and Collin slept and in the second room Teddy, Louis, Frank, Fred and James slept.

It must have been at least an hour before everyone had finished exploring the cottage they would call home until they had finished the books.

The rest of the day was spent talking, pranking, reading, trying on new clothes or playing exploding snap and they were definitely impressed with their cottage and had no complaints whatsoever as they discussed the situation they were in over the dinner table as they ate French soup and toasted and buttered baguettes that Victorie and Dominique had whipped up for dinner.

Lucy had charmed a clock she found in the cupboard-room to keep time and according to the clock it was 9:30 at night and the winter sun had long since disappeared behind the mountains.

"Bed time!" yelled Fred and the rest of the group agreed, nodding their heads or yawning in response.

As they walked to their rooms that night the same thought was on everyone's head 'I wonder what the books will be like ?'

**********Remember, Reviews! I will need a motivation if I am going to complete this story, I will try to update at least once a week, I still have school commitments however so it may not be possible :(**


	2. The Boy who Lived

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the pleasure is all JK Rowling's. I do not make any profit by writing these fan-fictions they are simply for your entertainment. Enjoy.**

**If you think this story needs a Beta reader to edit it please let me know and if you are a Beta reader yourself and would like to edit my work please PM me!**

The next morning Lucy woke the earliest and upon checking the charmed clock she discovered it was 6:20 in the morning and the sunrise looked exactly like yesterdays. She knew her cousins well enough to know that they would be horrid if woken up so instead she busied herself by making some french toast for breakfast.

By the time she had finished eating Scorpius, Louis, Molly, Alice and Victorie had also joined her at the table for breakfast.

When 8:00 rolled around the six who had woken already were growing impatient, they wanted to read the books already!

Alice growled impatiently before taking a deep meditating breath, "Ok-" she started and you could hear her frustration bubbling beneath her calm words "-I am going to go and wake the girls.

"Merlin knows they've had their beauty sleep by now." she added sarcastically before she rose from her plushy armchair and with the look of a woman on a mission she stalked out the door and her loud footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Five minutes later several high pitched screams and a yell of triumph exploded from the two girls rooms and just as they got up to go and investigate Alice walked back in, "Changed them into mice and let them free in the rooms" she grinned as she twirled her wand between her fingers and held up two grey hairbrushes like trophies.

Jest as she sat herself down four livid looking girls with wild bed-heads and sleepy eyes stormed into the room, Roxanne growled and Dominique, Lily and Rose glared menacingly

"You woke us up?" said Dominique, daring anyone to contradict her. Alice grinned smugly in reply.

"We have been up since like six thirty and we wanted to read the books" she explained.

At the mention of the books a look of comprehension dawned on all the girls faces, evidently they had forgotten. It also seems that the girls were in forgiving moods Because they quickly agreed to get dressed and ready, Roxanne also volunteered to wake the seven still slumbering boys.

An hour after Alice's stunt in the girls room it was five past nine and all seventeen teenagers had gathered in the living room and had just agreed to let Molly read the first chapter.

"THE BOY WHO LIVED"

**"Dad!" cheered Lily, James and Albus as the others grinned except Molly who was already looking annoyed.**

**"If you three are going to interrupt at every sentence I read we will never finish these books!" said Molly exasperatedly oven the cheers "I will not hesitate to silence you!" she warned as she pointed her wand threateningly.**

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

**"They sound boring" moaned James.**

**"Normal is so overrated" agreed Roxanne and Fred was about to comment but a deadly glare from Molly silenced him.**

They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

**"These Dursleys do sound Boring" said Fred. **

**"Nonsense is great!" added Roxanne as she grinned at James and her twin, Fred.**

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings,-

**"Grunnings?" said Lily.**

**"What kind of a name is that?" asked Alice and James was just about to reply but Molly started reading loudly over him, he glared at her and she smirked triumphantly.**

-which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache.

**"Sounds like a looker" said Dominique sarcastically.**

**"Maybe that 'very large mustache' is compensating for something?" asked Louis, just managing to finish his sentence before he cracked up laughing with the rest of the kids minus Molly who was glaring and Rose who muttered 'gross' under her breath.**

Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck,-

**"Great, a walrus and a giraffe!" said Lucy comically.**

**"Imagine what their child would look like..." said Victorie- she sounded appalled at the very idea.**

which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son-

**"Eiew, they had sex!" exclaimed Collin while Alice, his older sister, glared at him for his language.**

called Dudley-

**"Dudley, what a name!" exclaimed Albus.**

**"It's worse than mine!" laughed Scorpius and the rest of the room.**

**"Shut-up!" yelled Molly, "Can you just let me read!" she pleaded once the laughter had died down.**

**"Didn't know you could say shut-up..." muttered James under his breath as Molly continued, Rose heard however and threw her shoe at him.**

and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.

**"Sure..." drawled Lucy.**

**"He must be pretty fine if his parents are anything to go by" said Dominique sarcastically.**

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.

**The room erupted in cries of outrage, Teddy, James, Albus and Lily the loudest of them all. **

**Eventually Molly silenced them by yelling "You are shouting at a book!" that shut them up.**

Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister,

**Lily gasped, "the giraffe lady is Grandmas' sister?"**

-but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband-

**"Good-for-nothing!" Yelled James and Albus simultaneously, looking furious.**

were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.

**"Good!" said Lily stubbornly.**

The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him.

**"Dad?" said Albus.**

This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.

When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country.

**"I think I know what day this was..." said Teddy, his face contemplating and his usually vibrant, turquoise hair turning a tawny brown colour very much like his fathers as he thought.**

Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,

**"What?" questioned Roxanne.**

**"Who picks out their most boring tie?" said Fred, looking utterly bewildered.**

and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.

**"He sounds pleasant" commented Dominique dryly.**

None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.

**"Magic!" yelled Hugo and Collin at the same time, they grinned and high-fived each other.**

**"So immature..." muttered Rose as she looked at her brother and his best friend.**

At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.

**"Once again, he sounds pleasant" said Dominique sarcastically.**

"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.

It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat.

**"Wait a second..." said James.**

It stared back.

**"It's McGonagall!" yelled the Weasley twins at the same time and Rose and Molly rolled their eyes.**

As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.

**"Sure they don't" said Alice as she rolled her eyes.**

Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.

**All the boys minus Teddy snickered and Lucy got up and slapped them all around the head for it, muttering 'disgusting sick minded prats - head out of the gutter - immature boys' while she did so.**

But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.

**"They should be more careful!" Rose yelled, outraged and Hugo rolled his eyes at his sisters usual behavior.**

**"This was in the past" said Scorpius and he grinned at the angry look Rose gave him in reply. **

Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes-

**"That explains the boring tie" said Victorie logically.**

-the getups you saw on young people!

**"He just called himself old" snickered Collin.**

He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos-

**"Wizards aren't weirdos!" exclaimed Alice as she glared at the book.**

-standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak!

**"Like little Al's eyes" said James in a high-pitched girly voice looking at his younger brother who in return gave him the finger. James mock gasped and pretended to be insulted and Lily rolled her eyes at her eldest brothers usual immature behavior.**

The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it.

**"He sure is ignoring the signs" said Victorie.**

The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.

Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight,

**"O' my goodness!" said Rose, "What are they doing? Do they want to expose our world or something? 'Owls in broad daylight'? They might as well shout it out to them!" she ranted but upon seeing Scorpius open his mouth to comment again she shut-up, "Not a word" she threatened menacingly.**

-though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at night-time.

**Rose gave a petulant huff, she was clearly having a hard time holding her tongue.**

Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people.

**"Git" said Frank while James and Fred looked accusingly at Rose and Molly who glared in return.**

He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.

**"Wait, wait, wait, he stretches his legs by going to the bakery- to buy a bun? That's just ridiculous" Dominique said not seeing any logic at all in that statement.**

He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.

"The Potters,-

**"Wahoo" Lily and James cheered while Albus rolled his eyes and motioned for Molly to continue.**

-that's right, that's what I heard-"

"Yes, their son, Harry-"

**"Dad!" the three Potter kids cheered but upon noticing Teddy's solemn look they quieted down.**

Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.

**"I hope they wouldn't have answered him with a proper answer if he did" said Rose furiously.**

He dashed-

**"I wonder what he would look like running?"Roxanne said, snickering as she imagined it in her head.**

**"I think waddling or rolling would have been a better word personally" said Fred in mock serious but he too started laughing with the rest of his family. **

**-**back across the road,-

**"Damn, he didn't get run over!" said James disappointedly.**

-hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry.

**"Sure" drawled Dominique sarcastically.**

**"Sure is ignoring the signs" repeated Victorie as she shook her head and chuckled to herself.**

Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry.

**"Poor dad, imagine being related to these people" said James sympathetically.**

**"Are you kidding James?" said Albus, looking at his brother in disbelief, "We are related to him too!" he said after a moments silence and everyone cracked up laughing.**

**"I think your loosing your marbles James" said Frank, shaking his head in mock sadness.**

**"He never had them" said Lily and James shot her a fake wounded glare.**

**"**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that...-

**"How dare he! Grandma Lily was amazing!" **

but all the same, those people in cloaks...

He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon-

**"yes, because drills are sooo interesting" said Lucy sarcastically.**

-and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.

"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"

**"ARE YOU KIDDING!" yelled Rose, her face going red, "He might as well have told him he was a wizard!" Victorie and Molly were shaking their heads too, "that was stupid of him" agreed Victorie.**

**"But imagine Dursleys face!" said James, "keep reading Molly" he begged.**

And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.

**"Ha! Imagine Mr Dursley now!" said Fred, grinning gleefully.**

Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was.

**"Non magical folk" said Rose before she could stop herself and she blushed when Scorpius rolled his eyes good naturedley at her.**

He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.

**"Didn't approve of imagination!" exclaimed James "Who doesn't approve of imagination?"**

As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.

**"Minnie's glasses" said Fred wisely.**

**"What did you call Professor McGonagall?" said Rose, looking affronted.**

**"Minnie?" said Fred, looking questioningly at his cousin.**

**"YOU have no respect for professors what so ever!" she said shrilly.**

"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.

**"She wont like that" said Alice.**

The cat didn't move.

**"You must be a seer!" said Lucy sarcastically and the girls laughed.**

It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.

Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").

**"Won't, now thats sad" said Hugo.**

Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:

"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise.-

**"O' My Goodness" groaned Rose.**

Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin.

**"Maybe he is a squib or wizard?" piped up Dominique thoughtfully.**

**"That would make sense Dom" said Victorie as she smiled at her younger sister.**

"Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"

"Well, Ted,"-

**"Teddy. He has your name!" said Lily excitedly and Teddy nodded and chuckled at her enthusiasm.**

-said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars!

**"Are you kidding me" said Rose disbelievingly, "Wand sparks?" she continued in the same unbelieving voice.**

**-**Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."

Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...

**"About time" muttered Victorie "How thick could he be?" she asked herself.**

Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"

As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry.

**"How could you hate your sister so much?" wondered all the girls as they glanced at their sisters and in some cases close cousins or god-sisters.**

After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.

"No," she said sharply. "Why?"

"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."

"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.

**"She sounds feisty" commented Teddy.**

**"Imagine living with her..." Alice said, oblivious to the worried glances most the room shared.**

"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd."

**"Her crowd" said Rose in a scarily calm voice, everyone that knew her however understood that she was desperately trying to keep from exploding in anger.**

Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare.

**"Coward" muttered Collin and Frank.**

Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"

"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.

"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"

**James and Albus snickered at the thought of their dad being named Howard.**

"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."

**"Excuse me!" exclaimed Lily, "Their sons named Dudley!"**

"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart-

**"He has a heart?" commented Louis.**

**-**sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."

He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.

Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.

The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them...

How very wrong he was.

**"Dn Dn Dn" said Roxanne, Fred and James dramatically.**

Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.

A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.

**"Apparition" said Louis happily.**

The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.

Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.

**They had a good laugh at that much to the 'disapproval' of Rose and Molly though both were fighting their own smiles.**

He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.

**"Your namesake!" most of the kids cried out, all looking at Albus who was still laughing at the description.**

Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."

He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter.

**"It sounds like what dad has..." contemplated Hugo.**

He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer,-

**"Definitely the same thing dad had" confirmed Hugo**.

**"Of course it's the same one Hugo, Dumbledore left it for dad in his will remember?" explained Rose with exasperation.**

-until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.

"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."

**"We knew it!" cheered James, Fred and Roxanne at the same time.**

**"We all knew it" said Frank slowly, looking at the cheering three like they were crazy, which was debatable after all...**

He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking-

**"Understatement of the year!" yelled Fred, "Severe looking-hmph, she could have made Voldie cower with that glare of hers."**

-woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.

**"Minnie?" started Roxanne,**

**"Ruffled?" continued Fred,**

**"Never!" finished Roxanne and everyone in the room rolled their eyes at the twins behavior.**

"How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"My dear Professor, I 've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."

"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.

"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."

**Rose huffed angrily.**

Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.

"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news."

**"Rose! McGonagall agrees with you- or you agree with her considering you weren't born then..." James trailed off, looking distinctly confused.**

She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."

"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."

**Comprehension dawned on their faces, "the boy who lived?" said Lily timidly and Teddy nodded, everyone looked just a bit more solemn.**

"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."

**Rose gave another huff, she was trying desperately to stop herself from yelling at the book again.**

She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day YouKnow-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"

"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"

**"Albus you are named after a nutter" stated James and Albus glared at him while the others laughed.**

"A what?"

**"See! Minnie agrees!" yelled James.**

**"The first time you two have agreed on anything I am sure" said Dominique sarcastically.**

"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."

**"I repeat, Nutter" said James, shaking his head.**

**"Listen up!" Molly yelled frustratedly, "I am going to read the next couple of pages and I want no interruptions whatsoever! Understood?" **

**She glared at everyone until they agreed and even then Molly didn't seem convinced but she continued reading anyway.**

"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"

"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."

Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.

"I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring.

**James opened his mouth to comment but a glare from Molly made him change his mind.**

"But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."

"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."

"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."

**"Al, you are named after an noble nutter" said Alice matter-of-a-factly.**

**"And I think Minnie has taken a fancy to him, that long beard must be rather alluring..." commented James before he fell into peals of laughter.**

"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."

**"See!" exclaimed James, jumping of his chair and pointing at the book while grinning madly.**

**This time even Molly chuckled, "Al, you are named after a funny, noble nutter who has a crush on McGonagall..." said Colin over the increasing laughter.**

Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"

**"Minnie likes gossip" Roxanne observed.**

It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.

**"That must have been so annoying..." groaned Lucy in sympathy for Professor McGonagall.**

"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead."

**Everyone in the room bowed their heads respectively, the atmosphere mournful.**

Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.

"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."

**"She seems to have liked our grandparents" said Albus.**

**"Everyone seemed to have liked our grandparents" piped up Lily sounding a bit more cheerful.**

Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.

Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone."

Dumbledore nodded glumly.

"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"

**"She has a point, how uncle Harry survived is a real mystery" said Victorie.**

"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."

Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge.

**"I still don't understand those!" exclaimed Louis.**

**"Bloody confusing they are" agreed Frank.**

It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"

"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."

**"No" everyone moaned.**

"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us.

And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets.

**"I repeat, he sounds pleasant" said Dominique, for the third time in the chapter.**

Harry Potter come and live here!"

**"Poor Dad" said Albus, Lily and James simultaneously, all thinking about what an unfair childhood he must of had compared the great family and friends they grew up with.**

"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."

**"A letter!" nearly everyone in the room yelled.**

**"You can't explain all this in a letter!" said Lucy, sounding appropriately scandalized.**

"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future-

**"Now that would be hilarious!" exclaimed most of the boys.**

**"Imagine a Harry Potter day, I think Uncle Harry would die from embarrassment" laughed Lucy.**

**"He always had hated his fame hasn't he?" said Alice.**

- - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"

**"True that" said Hugo, "every child in our world DOES know his name!"**

"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"

**"Dumbledore does have a point" said Rose reasonably.**

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.

"Hagrid's bringing him."

**"Hagrid!" the teens cheered, all remembering the lovable giant who lived on the grounds at Hogwarts as gamekeeper.**

"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

**Fred and James gasped affronted, "Minnie how could you!" they said melodramatically. Rose and Molly secretly agreed with Professor McGonagall though, Hagrid, while his heart was in the right place tended to be a bit careless.**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.

**"Go Dumbledore!" Many cheered but they soon quietened when Molly drew her slender wand and twirled in in-between her fingers threateningly, "don't make me use a silencing charm" she said.**

"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"

**Some of the teens gasped melodramatically, putting their hands on their mouths and widening their eyes; Molly ignored them.**

A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle-

**"That is Awesome!" cheered James, the loudest of them all but they fell silent when gold sparks erupted from Molly's wand. **

-fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.

If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.

**"Dad" Lily, James and Albus cheered.**

"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"

"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me.

**"Yes yes YES! Did you hear that everybody, I was named after somebody who owned a flying motorbike! Yes! I'm awesome!" He cheered and everybody laughed, from the stories that were told about Sirius Black a flying motorcycle seemed fitting.**

**"**I've got him, sir."

"No problems, were there?"

"No, sir - house was almost destroyed,-

**There was a collective gasp from the girls.**

-but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."

**"Aww, thats so cute" the girls crooned while the guys looked at them as if they had grown a second head. 'Cute?' Scorpius lipped to Albus who looked just as confused as he did, Albus shrugged.**

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.

"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."

**"To true" stated Teddy sadly.**

"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.I've got him, sir."

**"You were named after a really weird guy Al" said James shaking his head and chuckling quietly.**

**"**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."

Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.

"Could I - could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.

**"Aww" all the girls crooned again' they had watery eyes and sappy smiles and were gazing adoringly at the book. The boys looked at them weirdly, "Since when did 'scratchy, whiskery kisses' become means for turning sappy?" asked Scorpius; the other boys had no answer.**

Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.

**"Hagrid really loves Harry" stated Molly fondly, she too was watery eyed and smiling.**

"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"

"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"

"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak,-

**Some of the girls made noises of disbelief or protest.**

-tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.

"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."

"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."

Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.

**"I want a flying motorbike" James wined longingly.**

**Lily made a disbelieving noise, "as if mum would allow you one, Aunt Hermione will sooner become a professional quidditch player before she lets you get a flying motorbike!"**

**"Grandpa Arthur would love it but" pointed out Albus, "he would be on your side for sure."**

"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.

Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.

"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles,-

**They laughed as they imagined Petunias horrified face. **

-nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley...-

**They groaned in sympathy for Harry, imagine having Dudley's' chubby fingers poking at you, eggh.**

He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"

**"Thats the end of the chapter" said Molly when she finished reading. **

**"Well that was interesting" commented Dominique as she stood up and arched her back.**

**"Next chapter!" Cheered James and Fred simultaneously.**

**"Can I read?" asked Victorie cautiously from her spot on Teddy's lap where she had curled up, moments later about half the group started yelling over each other all wanting to read themselves.**

**This time Rose shut them up by sending a few very well aimed stinging hexes at them, "Of course you can read Victorie" she said in a way-to-sweet voice. **

**"We are not fighting like this at the end of each chapter" said Lucy in exasperation, "Anyone have any ideas?"**

**Immediately James, Fred and Roxanne started sprouting up ridiculous suggestions but Lucy paid them no mind.**

**"We could put all our names in a hat and the person that had just read could choose someone. Once you have read we will take your name out and once everyone had had a turn we put the papers back in and start again?" offered Scorpius and Lucy hi-fived him, "Great idea!" she said before she disappeared into the cupboard room to get the papers and bowl.**

**"Ok" she said as she re-entered the room five minutes later, "Molly you read last to you can pick the next reader." Lucy shoved the bowl filled with sixteen sheets of folded parchment (Molly's was already taken out) under Molly's hand and Molly dipped her ink stained hand into the bowl before drawing out Victories name written in her younger sisters messy scrawl. **

**James, Fred and Roxanne faked sobbed into each others shirts at not being picked but another stinging hex from Rosie shut them up.**

**"Ok guys and the next chapter is-"**

AN: I hope you guys enjoyed it, I know I loved writing it! Unfortunately I have just started getting loads of homework as well as an inbox full of assessment and assignment notifications :( That means my next chapter will be published later than I hope.

Remember to Review, I will need the motivation if i am to finish and if you think i need a Beta for this story PM me!


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